 | Carla Shepherd owns the Right at Home franchise in Wichita. Right At HOme is a licensed Home Health Agency providing In-Home Care for individuals needing assistance to remain in their home. Carla is a former manager with Via Christi Health Services with over 20 years of health care experience. Also a Member of the National Privacy Duty Association. You can visit Carla at Right at Home, located at 7438 W. 21st St, Suite 123 in West Wichita. Call (316) 721- 6001, e-mail cjshep@ rah.kscoxmail.com or visit the website at www.rightathome.net/wichita |
Senior Living
2005-07-01 10:35:00
Sharing care with siblings
QUESTION: How can I divide the responsibility of caring for my elderly parents between my siblings? I seem to shoulder most of the responsibility and worries.
ANSWER: When a senior citizen needs either minor or extensive care from his or her family, it's important that all family members be alerted of the situation and become involved in the process. The topic of family members caring for loved ones is nothing new. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC), nearly one-quarter of households in the United States are involved in care giving to individuals age 50 and older. A typical caregiver in the United States is a 46-year-old female who spends more than 20 hours per week providing care to her parent, according to the NAC. In fact, more caregivers in the United States are women (61 percent) than men (38 percent), the NAC reported.The care of an aging family member shouldn't rest on the shoulders of one family member. This leads to stress, not only for the family, but the caregiver as well. Keeping the family lines of communication open can make the situation less stressful on everyone involved. And the family members will be more knowledgeable of the situation when additional decisions need to be made in the future.If families have members who live in another city or state, it's important to keep those individuals involved in the senior's care as much as possible.• Alert and discuss the senior's needs with all family members;• Divide responsibilities among the family, where possible;• Establish regular communication via meetings, conference calls or group e-mails;• Research additional resources to provide care when the family cannot;• Give the primary caregiver a break as often as possible.When all family members live in the area, include them in meetings with the senior's primary care physician or other medical specialist. When family members have a say in the care of their loved one, they're more likely to remain active in the senior's care.Should families choose to seek support from care agencies, the agencies should work directly with families to fill in the gaps of care. Families should not only provide input on the type of care their loved one receives, but they also should be kept informed with family care reports. A quality agency will issue family care reports. These regularly scheduled reports frequently update the family on the status and care of the senior citizen. It's an easy way for the family to remain involved in the care, and the time commitment is significantly reduced.
